TOKYO: Japan\u2019s low birth rate and aging population pose an urgent risk to society, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Monday, pledging to address the issue by establishing a new government agency.
\nBirth rates are declining in many developed countries, but in Japan the issue is particularly acute because it has the world\u2019s second-highest proportion of people aged 65 and over, after the tiny state of Monaco, according to World Bank data.
\n\u201cThe number of births dropped below 800,000 last year, according to estimates,\u201d Kishida told lawmakers in a policy address marking the start of a new parliament session.
\n\u201cJapan is standing on the verge of whether we can continue to function as a society,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cFocusing attention on policies regarding children and child-rearing is an issue that cannot wait and cannot be postponed.\u201d
\nThe conservative leader said his policies \u2014 including launching the new Children and Families Agency in April \u2014 were designed to support parents and ensure the \u201csustainability\u201d of the world\u2019s third-largest economy.
\nKishida added that he eventually wants the government to double its spending on child-related programs.
\n\u201cWe must build a child-first social economy to reverse the (low) birth rate,\u201d he said.
\nJapan has a population of 125 million and has long struggled with how to provide for its fast-growing number of elderly residents.
\nBirth rates are slowing in many countries including Japan\u2019s closest neighbors, due to factors including rising living costs, more women entering the workforce and people choosing to have children later.
\nOfficial data showed last week that China\u2019s population shrank in 2022, for the first time in more than six decades.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TOKYO: Japan\u2019s low birth rate and aging population pose an urgent risk to society, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Monday, pledging to address the issue by establishing a new government agency. Birth rates are declining in many developed countries, but in Japan the issue is particularly acute because it has the world\u2019s second-highest proportion of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":309379,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-309369","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n